THE GOLDEN JUBILEE, 1887 [VICTORIA (1819-1901, Queen of Great Britain)]

Fine Printed Official Account of the 'Celebration of Her Majesty's Jubilee' in the Abbey on Tuesday, 21st June 1887, with an astonishing wealth of detail about events, state, public and family, between Monday 20th June and Tuesday 2nd August, on a scale never before known, printers' handsome silver-grey papered boards, gilt title, rules and large crowned VR on upper cover, 189 sides 13" x 8½", Harrison & Sons, London, tiniest wear at top and bottom of spine and two corners of covers, otherwise excellent

The Golden Jubilee was remarkable for the sheer numbers involved. 210 ladies of the Women's Jubilee Offering of Great Britain presented a casket, that had been George III's, containing nearly 3,000,000 signatures (pp. 38 and 163. The Queen used the subscriptions to found the Institute of District Nursing). 6,000 local children had tea in Windsor Home Park (p. 47), while there were 30,000 in Hyde Park (p. 40). One of the Queen's preliminary acts was to pardon deserters if they registered within a certain time (p. 5), and there are many other incidental proclamations, messages and answers to addresses, notably those from the Navy at Portsmouth and the Army at Aldershot.
Touches recalling Prince Albert include his Te Deum, sung in the Abbey (p. 29), and later, when the Queen laid the foundation stone of the Imperial Institute, there is a list of the 8 other institutes also founded, thanks to his surplus from the Great Exhibition of 1851 (p. 88).
Full lists of Royalty, family, down to the Queen's great-grandchild Feodore of Saxe-Meiningen, and foreign, including the Queen of Hawaii, together with their suites when present, loom large at dinners, processions and Church services. We have not seen such a conspectus of names, including the various royal households, outside the dedicated publications. In addition there are deputations from cities and boroughs, schools and universities, and many other bodies. Due space is given to performances, such as the Eton College Volunteers', to describe the evolutions they performed, and the songs they sang by torchlight.
See too the Jubilee honours and promotions (pp. 120-132), and the many presents, among which we noticed a Model of the Albert Memorial in Gold from the Sultan of Johore, a White Collie dog from Messrs. J. & W.H. Charles, and the Jubilee Cake from Messrs. Gunter (pp. 133-163). At the end the seating arrangements in the Abbey occupy 15 pages (pp. 175-189).
The story of a remarkable six weeks

Item Date:  1887

Stock No:  55160      £1750

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